Campground Problems Aired in Tennessee

Several property owners brought a complaint to the Carter County (Tenn.) Planning Commission Tuesday (May 26) regarding the RV campground located on the Cove Ridge Marina property in Butler located in the state’s eastern tip.

Jim Dabbondanza, vice president of a local homeowners association made up of residents of the Point Eight Pines Community, said he and other residents are concerned about further expansion of the campground, according to the Elizabethton Star.

Dabbondanza read from a letter presented to the board, in which were listed several concerns such as noise level, bright lights, barking dogs and dust from frequent traffic on the gravel road leading into the campground. He said there was no approved campground when he and his wife purchased their home in 1989, adding that the campground may have violated their rights under the Zoning Private Acts of 1937. The letter further stated that the community is zoned R-1, or low density, including the Cove Ridge property.

“The new, improved RV campsite is now located within 25 yards of the Point Eight Pines Community,” said Dabbondanza, adding that there are no buffers between the properties to cut down on the noise level. “We live in a very quiet neighborhood, and sound really carries,” he said.

Residents Charles and Pat Middleton and Zack Lizee also addressed the board about the problem. Lizee said he and others are concerned about more RV lots being placed in the campground, stating that a barbed wire fence has been set up along the property line.

Another subdivision resident expressed concern about bright lights shining on their property from the campground, adding that she counted 30 electrical hookups after she learned that only 26 were approved by the planning board.

Planning Director Chris Schuettler assured the residents that there would be no further expansion of the campground, and Board Chairman Jerry Pearman told them he would take some board members to the location to check out the situation.